New Report Shows Participation in Summer Meals Continues to Fall Short in Illinois

New Report Shows Participation in Summer Meals Continues to Fall Short in Illinois

Posted By katiekihc, Community Contributor

Posted By katiekihc, Community Contributor

katiekihc, Community Contributor

[Chicago, IL] – June 12, 2013 – Participation in the Summer Nutrition Programs continues to fall short in Illinois, with only 94,915 low-income children receiving summer meals on an average day in July 2012, according to a new national report released today. The Illinois Hunger Coalition (IHC) noted that with the decrease compounding longer-term problems from the previous July, summer meals only reached 12.8 children for every 100 low-income children who got regular school year school meals in the 2011-2012 school year.

Illinois’ performance was worse than the national rate, which reached only one in seven low-income children, according to Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation, an annual analysis by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). The report measures participation in the Summer Nutrition Programs by comparing the number of children receiving summer meals to the number of low-income children receiving school lunch during the regular school year.

“Illinois is failing to close the summer hunger gap, and children are paying the price,” said Katie Klus, Child Nutrition Program Coordinator at the Illinois Hunger Coalition. “It is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that children have adequate nutrition during the summer so they stay healthy and are ready to learn.” Paula De Lucca, Director of Nutrition Services for the Archdiocese of Chicago, added “Many of the children who rely on school meals during the school year are at serious risk of going hungry during the summer.”

The Illinois Hunger Coalition discussed the findings of the new report Monday at a press conference held at the Hazel Crest Park District, on its opening day as a summer meal site. Joseph Bertrand, Executive Director of the Hazel Crest Park District, commented that “This program lines up with our mission statement by enhancing the quality of life for Hazel Crest citizens. We address concerns of obesity, we teach them to eat slowly, eat less, and add fiber to meals, such as vegetables, fruits, grains, and other fibrous foods that are filling yet low in calories.”

Low participation means missed meals for children and missed dollars for the state. If Illinois were to reach 40 children with summer food for every 100 low-income children who get school lunch during the regular school year, an attainable goal, Illinois would have fed 201,562 more children every day in July 2012 and brought in $14,074,034 more federal dollars to do so.

Designed to fill the food gap when school is out, the Summer Nutrition Programs fight hunger and contribute to better nutrition for children during the summer. Diane Doherty, Executive Director of the Illinois Hunger Coalition noted that several states managed to increase participation and make significant improvements to the quality of the meals offered. Such improvements can be a model for Illinois and local agencies to replicate.

“When the summer comes around, children are at home and not accessing the meal programs at schools, and it’s important that agencies like Respond Now and agencies throughout the south suburbs, and throughout Illinois are able to provide additional food resources for families” Said Carl Wolf, Executive Director of Respond Now. “To that end Respond Now is a site for the summer meal program, and the lunch bus will be stopping by our community garden five days a week, Monday through Friday.”

State and community leaders also can follow the lead of U.S. Department of Agriculture, which continues to prioritize participation in summer meals – USDA strategies include its annual Summer Food Awareness Week (June 10 to 15, 2013) to raise awareness of the program and its efforts to reduce administrative barriers to make it easier for sites and sponsors to participate. Such actions will move the programs in the right direction and should be continued.

“USDA is providing strong leadership with its emphasis on improving summer meals, but Congress will need to fix some of the underlying problems in the programs in the 2015 Child Nutrition Reauthorization to truly repair the Summer Nutrition Programs,” said FRAC President Jim Weill. “Congress must take a fresh look at the Summer Nutrition Programs and consider ways to improve this faltering program so it more effectively addresses hunger and obesity.”

The Summer Nutrition Programs, which include the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program, should be filling the food gap for the thousands of low-income Illinois children who rely on school breakfast and lunch during the school year to help keep hunger at bay. Through these programs, children, aged 18 and under, can receive free meals at participating summer sites at schools, parks, other public agencies, and nonprofits. In Illinois, families can find nearby summer meal sites by calling the IHC’s bilingual (English and Spanish) Hunger Hotline 1-800-359-2163.

About the report: Data for Illinois came from an annual report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a national anti-hunger advocacy and research group. The FRAC report, Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation, gives data for all states and looks at national trends. FRAC measures national summer participation during the month of July, when typically all children are out of school throughout the month and lose access to school meals. The report is available online at www.frac.org.